From cube-lovers-errors@curry.epilogue.com Thu Feb 20 17:01:07 1997 Return-Path: cube-lovers-errors@curry.epilogue.com Received: from curry.epilogue.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by curry.epilogue.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id RAA11888; Thu, 20 Feb 1997 17:01:06 -0500 Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@curry.epilogue.com From: Stan Isaacs Message-Id: <199702202137.AA029444678@hpcc01.corp.hp.com> Subject: Re: Super-skewb To: Cube-Lovers@ai.mit.edu Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 13:37:57 PST X-Mailer: Elm [revision: 109.19] Several people asked how to get the so-called "Super-skewbs" (the name is from an earlier cube-lovers message, not from Tony Fisher.) They are made by hand, by Tony Fisher (see below). He has about 9 puzzles, and says he plans to have some new ones later this year. He makes them by glueing parts onto Skewbs. The results, I think, are excellent. One corner broke off of one of the puzzles I got, but is easily glued back on. They move nicely (which means, I think, that the original Skewbs moved nicely.) He says he just buys them in shops, and then makes the transformations at home. They mostly cost around $60 - $75 (American), although a triple 5x5x5 is $90, and a mini-octahedron is $40. I don't know if these are permanent prices; they may change if prices of the cubes (or plastic) goes up. besides the skewb variations, he as "Siamese" versioin of both the skewb and the 5x5x5 cube (ie, he combines two into one; I don't have these, so I don't know exactly how the Siamese Skewb works.) He also has a Triple "Triamese 5x5x5", and a mini-octahedron based on the Tetraminx (which I also want to get a copy of. His address is: Tony Fisher 9 Cauldwell Hall Road Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 4QD, Great Britain I guess I ought to put the list of puzzles for clarity: Skewb variations: Icosahedron - $60 Dodecahedron - $60 Rhombic-Dodecahedron - $60 Octahedron - $55 Siamese Skewbs - $60 Mental Block - $75 (A strange object: looks like a 1x3x3 block, with 9 even squares on the top and bottom, but the edges are cut by an 'X' in the middle, so there are 2 triangles and 2 pentagons on each edge. When twisted, it makes all sorts of strange shapes.) Siamese 5x5x5 - $75 Triamese 5x5x5 - $90 Mini-Octahedron (based on Tetraminx) - $40 Dave Singmaster pointed out that the instructions for "Sonic's Puzzle Ball", but Christoph Bandalow, has some super-skewb moves in it. I've just glanced at it, so I haven't had a chance to try them yet. He seems to have about 3 moves that twist pairs of squares (and some triangles), of lenght 10, 14 or 18. -- Stan isaacs -- isaacs@corp.hp.com